ARCATA, Calif. — Big nights from a pair of Aussies provided just enough for Cal State Monterey Bay to rally for its fifth consecutive win Saturday night when it downed Cal Poly Humboldt 82–80 in Lumberjack Arena.
Aussies Levi Frankland (Gold Coast, Queensland) and Charles Johnston (Sydney, NSW) did the heavy lifting for CSUMB. Frankland remained on fire with 25 points, his fourth consecutive 20–point game. Johnston recorded his second double–double with season highs of 13 points and 14 rebounds.
All five Otter starters finished in double figures. Sophomore Jailen Nelson (Carlsbad HS) dropped 19 to go along with eight rebounds and a game-high five assists. Junior Joe Wall (Portland, Ore./Jesuit HS) added 11 points and freshman Ameere Britton (Elk Grove HS) chipped in 10.
CSUMB led by as many as 11 at 19–8 midway through the first half. Humboldt turned the tables in the second half, however, taking an 11-point lead of its own at 58–47 midway through the second.
The Otters righted the ship from there, using a 17–6 run over the ensuing five minutes to tie the game at 64–64. They took the lead for good at 69–68 on a pair of Frankland free throws with 3:28 remaining. Nelson and Wall combined for five free throws in the final 30 seconds to blunt the final Lumberjack rally.
With the win, CSUMB improved to 8–10 overall and 6–7 in the CCAA. That moves the Otters into a tie with Cal Poly Pomona for the final CCAA Tournament berth with eight games remaining.
Humboldt dipped to 10–10 and 8–6 with the loss.
THE GAME WAS STATISTICALLY OVER WHEN… the Otter defense didn't allow Humboldt to get off a potential tying shot before the final buzzer sounded.
AN OTTER HIGH FIVE… With a win at Cal Poly Humboldt Saturday, the Otters ran their winning streak to five in a row for the first time since they won seven consecutive games from Nov. 18–Dec. 12, 2008.
20–20–20–20 VISION… Levi Frankland ran his streak of 20–point games to four in a row with 25 points in Saturday's 82–80 win at Cal Poly Humboldt. He is the first Otter to achieve that feat since Ryan Nitz did it from Nov. 21–Dec. 4, 2015.
DOUBLE–DOUBLE VISION… Freshman Charles Johnston recorded his second double–double of the season with season highs of 13 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's win at Cal Poly Humboldt. He is the first Otters to post multiple double–doubles this season. Jailen Nelson and Joe Wall each have one.
MOVIN' ON UP… With 25 points in Saturday's win at Cal Poly Humboldt, Levi Frankland moved up to the No. 23 spot on the Otter career scoring list with 552 points in just 40 games.
MOVIN' ON UP, WHAT-IF EDITION… Including his two seasons at Notre Dame (Ohio), Levi Frankland has 1,251 points in his collegiate career. He would have passed Brandon Ward (1,231) for the No. 2 spot in CSUMB history with Saturday's effort.
NELSON MAKES THE LIST… With five helpers in Saturday's win at Cal Poly Humboldt, Jailen Nelson tied Jonquis Bouyea for the No. 30 spot on the Otter career assist list. He needs 14 more to move into the Top 20 all–time.
LEADERS OF THE RAFT… POINTS: Levi Frankland 25. REBOUNDS: Charles Johnston 14. ASSISTS: Jailen Nelson 5. BLOCKS: Charles Johnston/Joe Wall 1. STEALS: Javon Johnson/Jailen Nelson/Joe Wall 1.
THE LAST WORD… "I absolutely love the guys on this team. That's the quote!" — CSUMB Head Coach Isaac Williams
THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters return to the friendly confines of The Kelp Bed for a pair of games next week. The action kicks off Thursday (Feb. 2) when Cal State San Marcos visits. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as the nightcap of doubleheader action with the Otter women.
GO OTTERS!
